No need to buy pasta sides from the grocery store when you can easily make flavorful pasta sides at home! This Parmesan and Garlic Farfelle is full of flavor, and easy to make!

If you take a look around CenterCutCook, you will realize that I don’t offer as many options as I probably could in terms of side dishes. There are a few favorites like Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli or Roasted Cauliflower “Popcorn” but the truth is, I don’t tend to get very creative with side dishes when I cook. We’ll have a side salad, or some steamed veggies tossed in a little olive oil, but I can’t say I put much thought into what goes alongside the main dish which contributes to the lack of options you see here. Don’t worry, I’m going to get better about that!

I don’t know about you, but I have bought my fair share of pasta pouches from the grocery store. I won’t name brands, but there’s a broccoli and cheddar version that I’ve made too many times to count. While there is a convenience to making pasta sides that come in a pouch, it is really pretty easy to make your own at home!

This Pasta Side Dish: Parmesan and Garlic Farfalle, comes together quickly and is full of deep flavor thanks to onions, garlic, parmesan cheese, and the combination of dry white wine and chicken stock. I am not a wine drinker, so I don’t usually keep wine on hand. My grocery store sells these little 1-cup bottles that work perfectly for cooking.

To start you’ll need to begin cooking about 2 cups of dry pasta according to package directions. Then, you’ll need about 1/2 of a medium sized yellow onion, chopped, 2 minced garlic cloves, and a little olive oil. You’ll start by heating olive oil in a pan and adding in the onion. Once the onion is translucent, you’ll add in the garlic. I LOVE the smell of garlic and onions cooking! At this point I also added in a little red pepper flake for some heat. If you don’t like a little spice, leave it out.

Once the garlic is fragrant (this only takes a minute or two), you will add in a little butter, some white wine, and chicken stock or broth. Then you’ll bring it to a rolling boil, before adding in a few more spices and reducing the heat to medium-low. At this point the sauce will reduce down and the flavors will intensify. Right before it’s done, you’ll stir in a little parmesan cheese before tossing the pasta with this delicious sauce!

I topped the pasta with a little more parmesan cheese and it was just perfect as a side dish! You will get about 4 side servings from this recipe. It can be served alongside so many different main entrees! I just love versatile, easy side dishes, don’t you? This was tasty enough that I could see myself tossing in some sautéed veggies, adding a little chicken, and making a meal out of it.

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add in onions and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add in garlic, red pepper flake (if you want a bit of heat), and cook a minute or two longer.

Add in 2 tablespoons butter, dry white wine, and chicken broth. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and add in dried basil and parsley. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce reduces down quite a bit. Stir frequently. Add in parmesan cheese. When the cheese has melted, toss the cooked farfalle with the sauce. Garnish with a little more parmesan cheese and serve as a side dish.

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the cheese wasn’t grated finely enough? I like to use a Microplane grater to finely grate the parmesan cheese which helps it melt much better. Hope this helps!